Taking a watershed approach is helping gather all the relevant stakeholders from both provinces. Two organisations, Conservation South Africa and Environmental Rural Solutions, initiated the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership (UCP) in 2011. The UCP has 34 member institutions who together have the capacities and expertise to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage ecosystems so that these can support economic development and job creation for local people. The UCP includes government funded organisations like the Development Bank of South Africa. NGOs are involved, including the Endangered Wildlife Trust, WWF, and LIMA Rural Development Foundation. Community representation brings in groups like Bakoena Traditional Council, and Sikhululiwe Bawo Women’s Co-operative. Local government is represented, for example the local authorities for Port St Johns Local Municipality and Alfred Nzo District Municipality. Parastatal organizations, such as The Department of Water Affairs and the South Africa National Biodiversity Institute, are also involved. These institutions are willing to work together because they all recognise that restoring the Umzimvubu river system and watershed will help alleviate poverty, both within and beyond the catchment.

A watershed approach helps communities understand and manage the interactions between grasslands, water resources, and human activities. Overgrazing is driving extensive erosion, making soils less able to absorb water. Rains are carrying sediment into streams and rivers, and groundwater infiltration is reduced. Meanwhile, invasive non-native plants are absorbing and transpiring more soil water than native vegetation would, exacerbating the situation. But ecosystem-based approaches offer hope. The catchment partnership is clearing invasive plants, planning protected areas for headwaters, restoring wetlands and grasslands, and generally adopting better land use planning, all of which is helping to improve water services and generate new livelihood options.